SF Cyclotouring

5/27/2011

Mark your calendars! In 2011, SFR will host two populaire rides: June 25th, and Oct. 1st. The San Francisco Randonneurs is a club that hosts rides known as brevets. Normally, our rides begin at distances of 200km and go up from there.

The Populaire, at 114km (71 miles), is designed to be an entry into randonneuring at a distance that appeals to a wider audience. Our populaire route begins at the Golden Gate Bridge and uses a shortened version of our traditional first 200km brevet of the year. Basically, we ride out to Point Reyes Station, via Olema, and return via Nicasio to a picnic gathering at ride's end back in San Francisco. If you are interested in trying brevet riding, the Populaire is a great introduction!

The ride, like all our other brevets, is open to all riders, meaning you do not need to be a member of the San Francisco Randonneurs, nor do you need to be a member of our parent, national organization, RUSA. Many riders do later join one or both.

China Camp, Annadel, and Samuel P. Taylor are all places I bicycle through regularly. I'm not sure what this means regarding bike access -- will the parks literally be closed and fenced off? Or will they simply stop being maintained, and left to grow wild?

5/09/2011

Yesterday I brazed in a new dropout to replace the cracked original in my Nishiki commuter. T'was my first time doing this, and I l learned a bunch in the process. The result ain't too pretty, but it turned out OK -- I just had to file the dropout slot a bit to get the rear wheel to line up. I also respaced the rear of this frame to 130mm to prevent this fracture from happening again any time soon. Due to the heavy dimpling for wheel and chainring clearance, the right chainstay was REALLY easy to bend, and I overdid it drastically on the first attempt. But I revised my technique and got things spot-on. Fun times!